If you think getting a hold of major bands including Fall Out Boy is difficult, try getting Washington, D.C., alternative rock band Calisus. They may not be big yet, but they sure are busy.
Between touring, recordings and meetings in Los Angeles, Patrick Koch, the group’s lead guitar player and singer, got a chance to talk to The Mirror about their upcoming Boys ‘ Girls Club benefit show, which will take place this Friday in the Oak Room.
Calisus is known for its broad assortments of sounds from one track to the next. At one moment, one can be listening to a hard rock song by the group then the next minute it is a more pop-like rock song.
As far as pegging Calisus sound down, Koch said they have considered it.
“That thought has crossed our minds a bit. It’s possible because I have heard people say to us, ‘Come on, just pick something already,'” said Koch. “It just makes me laugh. We like everything.”
Koch is not lying when he says the group likes everything.
The influences section on the group’s MySpace page takes up almost an entire page, with an extensive array of artists, from Neil Young to Audioslave. It is this passion for music that brought the band together back in 2002.
Koch met the group’s drummer, Kyle Bucklew, standing outside with his drum set on move-in day for boarding school. It was not long after that two discovered their shared love for classic rock. Bucklew and Koch started jamming together that day in the dorm room.
“Before we knew it, within a matter of probably about 15 minutes, we had half the dorm crammed into Kyle’s little dorm room listening to us jam out to songs; other people’s songs, making stuff up on the spot,” said Koch.
From then on, Koch said he knew the band was going to need a strong singer to carry Calisus; that is when Chis Nyack came into the picture. Koch met Nyack in class and decided that he had the right sound – unfortunately, no one agreed.
“Everybody, almost every person I knew, bashed me for saying, ‘He is our singer,'” said Koch. “I kept telling them just wait a couple of years and you will see what I hear.”
Nyack’s voice improved, and people began to hear what Koch had been saying all along.
“Now they all come back to me and say, ‘He’s really good,'” said Koch. About a year ago, the group was finalized with the addition of bassist Zach Constable.
From there, Calisus went on to establish its reputation as a band that must be seen live. It is not unusual at a Calisus concert for the audience to be very much involved, with girls who just won’t leave flashing the band and audience members on stage. Koch describes it as similar to the concerts of the ’60s, where both the band and audience come for fun and good music.
“We are just rocking out, having fun, reaching out to the crowd, and we will even pull people onto the stage,” said Koch. “We just love to see people dancing to our music. We also love playing the music so much.”
There is one problem with having an amazing live reputation: it is hard to capture in the recording studio.
“Honestly people tell us quite a bit that our live performances are better than our records,” said Koch.
“I am glad about that because so many times I will buy an album and be like, ‘Man, these guys are so good. I have got to see them live.’ Then I go see them live and I’m disappointed,” he said.
Although fame and fortune motivate many rock groups, Calisus is more about the music than anything else.
It is through live performances that the group really finds its high.
“It’s the point of performing live: to bring a ton of people together for a bigger picture, a bigger cause,” said Koch. “It doesn’t matter whatever else is going on, everybody, we can all unite at that very moment and nothing makes us different, nothing sets us apart.”
It is with this energy that Calisus will unite students, both for love of music and the positive cause of the Boys and Girls club.
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